Botulism: causes and symptoms
The bacterium botulism is a serious poisoning that is characterized by a high level of intoxication and the subsequent damage to the nervous system.
The pathogen is widespread in nature and live in the land of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The bacteria is incredibly resilient and can be active to the infection even after 5 hours of constant boiling at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius. And only if the temperature rises over 120 degrees, the bacterium dies.
Botulism bacteria creates one of the most deadly and powerful poisons of organic origin, a poison called botulinum toxin and 0.3 ág enough to be fatal to humans.
The original carrier clostridia are animals, in the intestines where the bacterium lives and develops. Stand out bacteria along with the bowel movement of the animal. Generally, bacteria exist in warm-blooded animals. This itself the bacterium is not dangerous, it is the toxin causing the poisoning and damage to the nervous system.
Poisoning can be a consequence of parasite development in products with a small amount of oxygen, which is why so often recorded of intoxication after consumption of sausage or ham, salted fish and canned fruits and vegetables.
However belinstitute the toxin enters the human body not only through the consumption of poisoned food, there are two ways in which, although the less incredibly rare to find. Sometimes botulism can develop in the intestine of infants, and the second way is the development of the bacteria in dead tissues, it can happen in advanced wound, skin damage.
Why poisoning can disrupt the nervous system? The fact that the result of poisoning, the toxin enters the bloodstream and can affect different parts of the Central nervous system. It is worth noting that the toxin can cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
Symptoms of botulism
The incubation period for botulism is commensurate with the severity of poisoning, the more severe the intoxication, the more quickly the symptoms comes first. The maximum period can last up to 48-60 hours,
From the point of view of symptoms, they in most cases are universal and occur in any person when infected. Symptoms developing almost exponentially, quickly and without interruptions, observed:
- nausea,
- then vomiting, which can go with the cramps and colicky pains in the abdomen,
- the strongest diarrhea
- *and all these symptoms can be observed within the first 24 hours after the start of excretion of toxin.
Further it may be noted that besides the problems and symptoms associated with the gastrointestinal tract, there are symptomslinked with the nervous system.
First of all, we are talking about what can be observed visual disturbances the patient ceases to see clearly. Once with visual disturbances begins the violation of salivation, may be noted the dry mouth, intense thirst.
Naturally, damage to the nervous system always is accompanied by severe pain of the head, and with them may be and dizziness the insomnia. You can often observe the patient's fever and rise in temperature.
The most dangerous symptom that suggests a very unfavorable development of the disease is the violation, shortness of breath. This is respiratory failure in which the patient experiences heaviness, pressure on chest, shortness of breath, palpitations. The development of poisoning може5т lead to death.
Treatment of botulism
Because botulism causes serious poisoning, the patient should be hospitalized and placed in inpatient treatment. Primarily the treatment is necessary to remove the acute phase, that is, to stop vomiting, to calm the heart muscle, restore breathing. For this neutralized and excreted toxin, which causes all the manifestations of severe poisoning.
Before hospitalization, it is recommended to perform gastric lavage, using for the first time just boiled water, and then use a solution of 2% soda. Be sure to increase fluid intake.
As for the neutralization of the toxin, which causes all the symptoms and problems, treatment, medicine uses a specially designed serum that are designed to bind and excrete toxin from the body.
Full recovery from botulism can be diagnosed after 14 days of treatment. While most patients can be observed for residual signs of paralysis, especially if the poisoning had an influence on the nervous system.